NCI Drug Dictionary

The NCI Drug Dictionary contains technical definitions and synonyms for drugs/agents used to treat patients with cancer or conditions related to cancer. Each drug entry includes links to check for clinical trials listed in NCI's List of Cancer Clinical Trials.

The search textbox has an autosuggest feature. When you enter three or more characters,
a list of up to 10 suggestions will popup under the textbox. Use the arrow keys
to move through the suggestions. To select a suggestion, hit the enter key. Using
the escape key closes the listbox and puts you back at the textbox. The radio buttons
allow you to toggle between having all search items start with or contain the text
you entered in the search box.

An orally available inhibitor of the receptor tyrosine kinase anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) with antineoplastic activity. Upon administration, alectinib binds to and inhibits ALK kinase, ALK fusion proteins as well as the gatekeeper mutation ALKL1196M known as one of the mechanisms of acquired resistance to small-molecule kinase inhibitors. The inhibition leads to disruption of ALK-mediated signaling and eventually inhibits tumor cell growth in ALK-overexpressing tumor cells. ALK belongs to the insulin receptor superfamily and plays an important role in nervous system development. ALK dysregulation and gene rearrangements are associated with a series of tumors. Check for active clinical trials using this agent. (NCI Thesaurus)